He handed me the colorful gift bag with a mischievous smile on his face.

“I think you will like this.”

I picked up the heavy bag and placed it on the table.

“Should I open it now?” I asked.

“Yes. Go ahead,” he said with a smile. His excitement made me chuckle.

When I removed the tissue paper, I saw a beautiful box inside. I lifted it and read it aloud: “Life Application Study Bible.”

The puzzled look on my face said it all.

“You haven’t seen one of these, have you?” he asked.

I nodded while quickly reaching for the box. Inside it, a fancy-looking, leather-bound bible displayed my maiden name, beautifully engraved on the cover.

I crossed to the other side and gave my boyfriend a bear hug.

I was thankful for his thoughtfulness, yet completely unaware of how his simple, strategic gift would begin a journey that would change my life forever. I was 27 years old and had been a Christian for a little over 2 years when Steve gave me my first study Bible.

We met in 1996 in Brazil, and as cliche as it may sound, the truth is that what brought us together was, no question about it, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was in Brazil with his family for an international drag racing event. The language institute I owned had been chosen to perform all translations between the American teams, the press and the public. I led the group of eight interpreters who worked with the Americans for one week. Steve and I had talked to each other, but, it had been nothing but a business association until the first day of the race, when he saw me assemble the group of translators and hold hands to pray before the day started at the track.

Later on, he used what he saw to spark the conversation that started a friendship that later became our love story.

His gift is still one of my greatest treasures. My first Life Application Study Bible. It has been my daily companion for my devotional time for 23 years… and it has instilled in me the desire to know my God in a deeper, more personal way.

But to be honest, I have always used my Life Application Bible in conjunction with my New American Standards Bible, because the copy Steve gave me is a King James’ Version – not the easiest translation for a new believer, I must say… much less a foreigner! 🙂 Therefore, I have read the Bible text on my NAS translation, and then switched to my LAB for the commentaries and studies for all these years.

When BibleGateway offered some of its Blogger grid members the opportunity to get a FREE copy to review Zondervan‘s new NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition about a month ago, I immediately replied. Less than a week later, I received my copy of the NIV Life Application Bible. I felt like a kid with a new toy a Christmas and dove into my current studies of the book of Isaiah using the new Bible.

I must say, this is one of the best revisions I have ever seen!

The cover is beautiful, the designs of the pages are rich and the content is even better than my beloved first LASB. Zondervan has also included three pages containing information about the 400-year “interlude” between the Old Testament and the New Testament, filled with wonderful insight that not many Christians know about the 400 years of silence between the last prophet of the Old Testament and John the Baptist.

There are many reasons every layperson who loves Jesus and wants to know God’s ways in a deeper way should own a copy of the Life Application Bible.

Below, I will list only five of these reasons. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below or add any other aspects of this wonderful tool that I may not have listed.

Reason #1 – It “opens up” Scriptures

As a new Christian, I was thirsty to know the Lord in a more intimate way. But I honestly found myself skipping certain passages because they were too hard to comprehend. My LASB helped me understand what the author meant, the context of Scriptures and the application of certain principles to my life in a practical way.

Reason #2 – The History and Geography of Biblical Accounts

Nothing validates our faith more than to realize that the Bible is not a collection of nice stories, but rather, the true history of God’s people and His love letter to us. This Bible explains the historical and geographical context of the texts of Scripture in an easy-to-follow manner, making studying each book much more interesting and applicable.

Reason #3 – Character Studies

Sometimes we forget that the men and women of the Bible are people like you and me, who struggled and triumphed as we do. One of my favorite traits of the LASB is the character studies. Some are the great leaders of our faith such as King David and the Apostles. But others are more obscure characters such as Zerubabbel and King Xerxes. As we read their character studies in the pages of the LASB, we learn from their mistakes and find guidance in their strengths. It’s a priceless feature of this Bible, which has been enhanced even more in this Third Edition.

Reason #4 – Book Introductions

Have you ever read a book of the Bible and found yourself confused about the sequence of events or accounts? I know I have!

In this LASB, every book is preceded by an insightful introduction, containing traits such as key places, intended audience, setting, key people, the blueprint of the book and megathemes. These introductions read as an exciting trailer of a blockbuster and will get you yearning to learn more.

Reason # 5 – The Applications

I cannot begin to tell you how many times the Holy Spirit used the applications of certain passages of Scriptures as written in this Bible to minister to me. Many have been the days when I’ve found myself crying over a passage because the application written in my precious Bible directed me to understand His heart in a way that shaped the way I think, act and live.

In a nutshell: If I were to be taken to exile, and was told that I could only take one item with me, I would not hesitate: Give me my Life Applications Bible. Why? Because it has been while reading this inspired Study Bible that I have learned to better understand my Lord’s heart.

[bctt tweet=”If I were to be taken to exile, and was told that I could only take one item with me, I would not hesitate: Give me my Life Applications Bible. #BibleGateway Bloggergrid #BibleGatewayPartner #NIVLifeApplicationStudyBible” username=”PatHolbrook”]

Christmas is around the corner! What better gift to give someone you love than something that will make them want more of Jesus? Here’s a link to purchase it from Amazon, but you can get it just about anywhere: NIV Life Application Bible

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